BSG Call It Whatever You Like
by Mariel3
Summary: A series of events result in a series of other events...AR
1. Celebratory

I hope this will be the first of a series. The connection between each story should become evident very quickly. Nothing terribly deep, and I'm not sure how many of them there'll be. Hope you like, though.

As always, thanks to those kind enough to take the time to review...

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Battlestar characters, but I continue to enjoy playing around with them. I'll admit if I could earn money doing this, I would, but since it's unlikely, I'm not quitting my day job. :>

**Call It Whatever You Like  
**by: Mariel

* * *

**1 - Colonial Day**

_**-Celebratory-**_

They were adults, after all.

So attraction had led to dancing, which had led to a quick walk to his quarters and celebratory sex in his rack.

_No regrets there._

He'd been playful, ardent, confident, and considerate. She'd found herself surprisingly ready, her expectations more than met, and her effect on him - and his on her - more than satisfactory.

Walking from his quarters to the shuttle that would take her back to _Colonial One,_ she had been only partially successful in keeping a satisfied grin off her face.

_It had been a long time in coming._

She didn't know where this moment of indiscretion would lead, but it had been building for a while and she couldn't regret it; not with their shared desire still clouding her thoughts...and not with the feel of his hands lingering on her skin and the taste of him still on her lips.

Settling back in her seat as the transport ship was brought out of the landing pod, she smiled.

It made her feel deliciously wanton to think that the last remnants of the seed he had spilled into her was now slowly staining her underwear.

She fingered the collar of her shirt, pulling it to her more closely. He had marked her.

In a frenzied moment of desire she had allowed it. Wanted it.

Had held his head against her and actively encouraged it.

Impulsively, she raised a hand to her face and inhaled slightly. She could smell him on her fingertips - a male scent, mixed with soap and sex and a faint cologne. All distinctly_ his_. Her body recognised it and a thrill of sexual response coursed through her.

She leaned against her headrest, wondering what his reaction would be to the trails her nails had left on his back and shoulders. It had felt good to hold on to something so tightly she damaged it; had felt good to be so out of control she couldn't stop herself.

So out of control she didn't_ want _to stop herself.

She had never experienced that kind of abandon before, but oh, gods, she promised, _what had happened would happen again._

She moved slightly in her seat, enjoying her body's awakening.

-xxx-

_Billy sat and watched the president discreetly. He'd seen the marks on her throat that she'd furtively tried to cover. He knew the secret behind her pleased expression because he knew from whose quarters she had emerged and knew just by the look of her what had taken place. _

_He looked down at his clasped hands and hid his smile. _

_Finally. _

_It was a secret he would happily keep. _

End

Part 1  
Moments


	2. Makeup

Thanks muchly to those who took the time to review Part 1. You have no idea how it's appreciated! I wasn't certain about continuing, but hey, if there are a few of you enjoying it, it makes it worthwhile.

So... it's full steam ahead...Part 2 is a bit different from Part 1 - and certainly longer - but it holds some of the same elements. And will probably indicate to you how I figure the rest will go. I'm thinking maybe 3 or 4 more - up until Pegasus, anyways. After that, I think I'll have to wait for the dvds to come out before writing more. _If _there's more in there to write. We'll see.

And since I'm going away for a while, I'm going to have to try to get everything written and posted before the weekend. Wish me luck.

Disclaimer: They're not mine and I make no money from them. Nor do I mean to offend.

* * *

**Call It What You Like  
** By: Mariel

**

* * *

2 - Home**

_**- Make-up -**_

Betrayal, near death, and forgiveness. Then make-up sex on the ground under a tarp that kept the steadily falling rain at bay.

_No regrets there. _

Their initial meeting had been restrained. Arm around his son, he'd turned and said it was good to see her.

She'd merely smiled in return.

He'd brought her Billy. A father knows how important a son is to his mother.

Eventually, the evening routine set in and a fire was built and food eaten. As night settled and the fire lowered, people quietly drifted off to their sleeping areas.

Set further away for a measure of privacy, Laura's tarp protected both her and the Commander from the planet's precipitation while they talked. They had remained separate from the group, choosing not to join them for either the comfort of the fire or for the evening meal. Both pleased and relieved the two leaders were no longer at each other's throat, everyone had kept their distance. They understood - or thought they did - the need for the two of them to talk out their differences without interruption.

And talk out their differences they had, though more easily and quickly than most might have supposed. When the universe rights itself, understanding and forgiveness come with surprising facility.

They spoke at length, quietly revelling in the sense of rightness they felt at being where they were.

Together.

_It had been a long time in coming._

In the darkness of Kobol's night, with the rustle of their movements drowned out by the sound of raindrops beating a steady tattoo against their tarp, they carefully moved towards one another. Sitting shoulder to shoulder at first, they listened to the rain and spoke of things other than the Fleet. And when everyone was settled and the night had turned quiet, they reached an accord of a different sort. In the darkness, his arm encircled her. She leaned against him and whispered that it was good that they were here.

Together.

And so, before seeking to find the tomb of Apollo, they sought and found each other.

_It had happened before; it would happen again..._

She'd needed to trace the raised scar on his chest with her fingertip, delicately trailing along its length from its beginning to his waist.

Needing no reminders of its presence, he had not let her dwell on it for long - the pain of it was too constant a reminder of yet another betrayal that would haunt his sleep. Tonight, he wanted it overridden by sensations more pleasurable - and prayed his body was ready for it. Driven by the need to consummate their reunion, he pulled her close and took her mouth with his.

Laura pressed herself against him willingly. The needs being met this time would be different and not so easily defined as on Colonial Night, but she did not question that they would be met. Opening her mouth readily, she returned his warmth, letting him know she was ready and willing.

And eager.

He tasted as she remembered, and she was quickly carried away by the wave of sensation he created in her. It felt both familiar and new, and it was so, so very good...

But when he rolled her onto her back and leaned over her to kiss her more deeply, his body stiffened. She felt his harsh intake of breath; heard his struggle to breathe. With a muttered curse, he slowly released his hold on her and turned onto his back, his hand pressed against his chest.

Instantly afraid, she sat up. One hand joined his on his shirt front, the other moved to the side of his head, its fingers sliding through his hair. "What's wrong?"

She felt him pause.

"This might be more difficult than I'd hoped," he said.

His wry, slightly irritated tone reassured her. She remembered him leaning over Sharon in a similar, though less amorous position; remembered also the way he had suddenly clutched his chest...

"You're in pain."

"No-" He hesitated, then admitted, "Some. I just have to be careful, that's all. Sorry."

"Are you sure?" she asked, wanting to believe him, but feeling a fear she didn't want to examine too closely.

"Yeah. When I lean forward, my insides fall against my ribs. It hurts, but it's not fatal."

Relaxing, she smiled even though it was too dark for him to see it. "What a lovely mental picture," she murmured, still running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm an artist," he responded dryly. Reaching up, he took the hand that caressed his hair and brought it to his mouth. "I really am all right, though," he said, kissing her palm. He inhaled deeply, loving the scent of her. Placing his lips against her wrist, he said, "I just have to be careful, that's all."

She leaned over him and gently touched her mouth to his.

He responded, teasing and biting her lips before reaching up a hand to hold the back of her head and plundering her mouth with his tongue.

By the time they were finished, there was no mistaking his state of arousal.

Or her own.

She half lay on him, with one of his thighs creating a delicious pressure between her legs she wanted more of. Touching him, she felt his hardness and smiled at the reflexive response her touch elicited from him.

"All is not lost, then?" she questioned in a low, amused voice.

He reached under her sweaters to warm her skin. "All is not lost," he assured her. His hands moved to the waistband of her pants, seeking the clasp to undo them.

She shed them quickly.

Eventually they were undressed enough. Weighing need and practicality, she moved to straddle him. Sighing as she settled onto him, his thickness slid into her warm wetness with just enough resistance to cause them both to exhale a soft moan.

_Such pleasure._

He used his hands to increase her response to him, trailing them across her body, caressing and teasing her as she rode him until she wanted to scream from the pure joy of him. Of this. Of the night and what they were creating. When she was so taut the world could have ended and she wouldn't have cared ...when she was so taut she was breathless and focussed and lighter than air... he paused and whispered her name, and for one, eternal moment the sound resonated in the air around her and through her and into her heart. She opened her eyes and thought she saw his eyes glitter back at her in the darkness.

Then he resumed his movements and she hers and they built their rhythm until it and his touch took her over the edge. As her body stretched and took flight, she exhaled his name softly, sending it to join hers in the darkness.

-xxx-

She tightened around him, and he released himself into her, thrusting deeply as he clasped her against him.

Pulling her down onto him, he enjoyed a feeling of peace he wouldn't have thought possible only days ago. Enduring the pressure of her weight as long as he could, he finally suggested gruffly, "We might not want to fall asleep like this. It's how rumours get started."

She nipped his neck with sharp teeth, then slowly slid to one side and nestled against him. "Let's just rest for a while. I'm too comfortable to move just yet," she told him. "It's good to feel warm."

More than happy to have her with him, he pulled his sleeping blanket over them more securely and breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Wrapped neatly together, they both dozed contentedly.

Some while later, a slight movement alerted him that she was awake. She must have made the same realisation about him, because she whispered, "I suppose I should find my pants."

"Me, too," he said, knowing his were pooled around his ankles.

There were a number of things he would have liked to suggest they do instead of dress, but he was a realist. Most of them would need to wait until he was more fully recovered. And in more private surroundings.

Unwilling to have her leave him just yet, he ran a calloused hand up and down the bare thigh she had flung across him, relishing the silk of her skin beneath his palms. They lay like that a while more, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact - he gently caressing her leg, she gently moving her fingers on his chest beneath his undershirts.

It felt good.

Finally, reluctantly, she withdrew her leg and moved to feel about for her pants.

After a moment's rustling, all was put back in place. He saw her shadowed form pause and stare over at where her bed sack lay a few feet away. After a moment, she appeared to make a decision.

Something warmed in the air around them when she turned and crawled towards him, whispering, "I'll wake up before daylight and move then."

Wordlessly, he spread out his arm to welcome her back. When she was settled with her head on his arm and her body comfortably spooned against his, he tucked the sleeping covers securely around them once again. With his arms tightly wound around her, they drifted off to sleep.

-xxx-

_As early dawn chased the first stubborn shadows of night away, Kara observed movement under the president's tarp. Unsure of what she was seeing, she stepped forward and narrowed her eyes as one dark form separated into two. Immediately recognising Roslin's shadowy figure as she began to move from the Old Man's side, Kara watched silently as a hand reached out to stop her. The president paused, then allowed herself to be drawn back. _

_Kara saw their lips meet in a kiss, then continued to watch as Roslin pulled back, then leaned in for another. Finally, the President moved several feet away from the Commander and slid into her bed sack._

_Kara smiled. Morning watch always revealed secrets. This was one she would keep_. _It was, she thought, a happy secret. A good secret._

End  
Part 2


	3. What the Hell

Wow. Thanks for the reviews, folks! They REALLY made my day. And in gratitude, I give you part three. There's even a bonus scene at the end. :>

Disclaimer: See part one.

* * *

**Call It What You Like**  
By: Mariel

* * *

**3 - Final Cut**

_**- What-the-Hell - **_

A tumultuous return from Kobol, disasters everywhere, and things so totally frakked up they weren't certain how they were going to fix them. It all somehow led to the President of the Twelve Colonies and the Commander of the Fleet having what-the-hell sex in his quarters.

_No regrets there._

Laura threw down the document she'd been reading, not bothering to watch it hit the floor beside her feet. Bill looked up from his desk. They'd agreed to work together for a few hours, each giving a running commentary on anything of interest in the reports they were reading in an attempt to quickly catch up on what had happened while they'd been gone.

He cleared his throat. "Something wrong?" he asked calmly.

"You need to ask?"

He didn't, not really, so he went back to resolutely looking at the papers littering his desk.

Unwilling to let him go so easily, she continued, "What you see in him I'm sure I don't know. Four people killed. FOUR," she repeated for emphasis. "Martial law was bad enough - I still can't believe he was that stupid - but to run around killing peopl-"

"Saul didn't pull the trigger," Bill interjected quietly. He wished she would get over it already. He had.

Laura wasn't about to be calm or quiet or move on. "He might as well have. What was he thinking? We'll be lucky to ever regain the trust we lost over all this. Gods, if you'd died..." Her voice trailed off, then came back with force. "We've got to do something to restore confidence. We need a plan."

The Commander gave up on the reports. Looking over at her, he decided the evening was in need of a change of course. Rising, he walked over and carefully sat down beside her.

"I'm sure you can come up with something."

She shot him a glare. "Why me?"

"Because that's what you do," he said in a mild tone. "You come up with plans all the time. I usually hate them, but against all odds, they often work anyway. When they do, I congratulate you, you try not to gloat, and life goes on." He looked at her, his eyes warm. "Sometimes I think the more I hate one of your ideas the better it's likely to work, so please, knock yourself out on this one."

Pausing, he crossed one leg over the other, leaned back, and rested his arm along the back of the sofa. Exhaling softly, he added in a low undertone, "Persuade me to agree to your idea, and I'm willing to seal the deal any way you like."

The twinkle in his eye and the raised eyebrow that accompanied it made her ire rise still hotter. Slapping him on the arm, she demanded, "Stop it. This is serious."

"So am I."

Again the twinkle.

Again the glare.

"That's it," she said angrily. "If you're not going to take this seriously, I'm leaving!"

Abruptly, she began to rise.

His hand gripped her arm.

"Now _you _need to stop," he ordered amiably. "Relax. It'll be okay. You just have to let yourself think clearly."

She turned on him angrily. "I am! Saul Tigh is an idiot who managed to undo everything we've worked to put together. He's a drunken, incompetent-"

She stopped abruptly as he tugged sharply on her arm and brought her up against his chest. "It's not as though we didn't have something to do with what we're faced with, Laura. We put him into that situation, remember, and he just did what he could. Forget him. It's over, and he's the least of your problems, anyway." Adroitly executing the first step in his anticipated change of course, his mouth found its way to the softness of her neck.

Still angry, she fought against him. Pushing against his chest, Laura struggled to put space between them.

He let her go.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Kissing a very angry woman," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's not making it easy, though."

He held her gaze, his face impassive.

She paused.

He waited.

She opened mouth, then closed it.

He thought he saw a weakening, so slowly lifted one shaggy eyebrow.

"Stop it," she ordered.

He continued to hold her gaze. She was definitely weakening. "Can't," he said in a serious tone. "I love it when you're pissed."

A soft snort, and then a giggle trilled in her throat.

A smile gentled the corners of his mouth and warmed his eyes. "We talk about stopping," He exerted more pressure for her to lean against him, and then continued in a satisfied tone, "But I don't think we really want to."

He was right. Of course she didn't want to stop. Who in their right mind would? With things as frakked up as they were, why bother with restraint, or even with common sense? Whatever it was that she and Bill had was wonderful and freeing and the perfect escape. Who the hell would give that up?

Deciding to accept his proposed change in course, she brought her mouth to his, tasted his lips hungrily, and then moaned softly when his tongue slid against hers. His hands moved across her back, then up to hold her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he probed her mouth and then trailed kisses along the curve of her neck.

_This had happened before, and this would happen again. _

Wanting more of him, she put enough space between them that her fingers could begin to nimbly undo his buttons. "Why so many?" she groused.

Bill busied himself with the clasps on her suit jacket. He shrugged. "Women find them attractive."

"No we don't. They're a pain in the neck," she retorted, finally sliding his uniform top off his shoulders.

"You just like being contrary," he grunted as he leaned sideways and she pulled at his sleeve. Finally freeing him from the offending garment, she tossed it onto the sofa beside them. Her suit jacket quickly joined it.

Her blouse and his undershirts soon followed.

The rest of their clothes were shed on the way to his rack.

-xx-

They lay in his bed, sated and unwilling to move. It was good to be warm and together and to not have anything needing their immediate attention.

They both decided that the best part about sex - besides the sex itself – was lying together afterwards.

And then the phone shrilled.

Bill grimaced and reached up over his head to pick up the receiver.

"Adama," he said, his voice hoarse.

After listening a moment, he cleared his throat and rasped, "Just a minute. You'd do better to speak to the President yourself." He passed the receiver to Laura with a whispered, _"It's Lee."_ She grasped it clumsily, dropped it between them, and then picked it up with a muffled curse.

"Roslin," she said, relaxing as Bill's strong fingers began to gently caress her head. She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line.

Eventually, she said, "Mmmm... thank you, Captain Apollo. That would be fine." Her voice sounded breathy and languorous, even to her own ears. Trying for a firmer note, she opened her eyes and said more firmly, "I'll be ready to go back in an hour. No," she said, "don't send someone. I'm sure the Commander will escort me when I'm ready." She gasped lightly when the commander in question nibbled the side of her neck.

She pulled back and glared at him while she said goodbye to Lee, then held out the phone for him to hang up. "Never do that when I'm talking on the phone, Bill. It's a very sensitive spot."

Adama paused, then moved quickly to repeat the manoeuvre.

This time, she did not resist. Instead, she inhaled sharply, then let the air out in a low moan as she relaxed against the warmth of his mouth. "Gods, Bill," she murmured. Wrapping her free arm around him, she caressed the back of his neck as she tilted her head up to ease his access. Her other hand still held the phone. "Yessss," she whispered, her voice a warm smile as her body responded to his encouragements. "It feels good."

Reaching out to grasp the phone, he made a low rumbling sound in his throat as he continued to devour her neck. "You taste good," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. Fumbling the phone a bit, he finally found its resting place on the shelf at the head of his rack and brought his hand back to more useful ministrations.

Neither he nor she realised the connection to CIC hadn't been severed as soon as she'd said goodbye.

_-xxx-_

_Lee stood in CIC, shock and amazement and a few other reactions vying for a place on his face. He remained motionless a long moment, the phone pressed to his ear. Slowly, he brought it down in front of him and looked at it in wonderment. It took another period of thoughtful silence before he slowly and very carefully hung it back on the receiver._

_Gods. How long, he wondered, had they been doing _that_? And had he really needed to hear it? He looked around CIC. Feeling very much like a man who knew way more than he needed to, he decided it was a good thing he was capable of keeping a secret…_

_Then he grinned.  
_

-xxx-

**- Seal-the-Deal -**

A worsening situation between military and civilian factions, a sense of frustration, and a last ditch plan. It all led to furtive, hurried, seal-the-deal sex in her quarters in the middle of the day.

Laura had come up with a plan. After much heated debate, Bill had agreed.

They couldn't have said, exactly, how or even why they'd started the deal sealing then and there, but once they had, there was no stopping it. Clothes were moved aside, tongues exchanged, and a quick, heated, shattering orgasm shared.

_No regrets there.  
_

They'd barely finished readjusting their clothes when security called to announce the arrival of D'Anna Biers, the reporter to whom Bill was about to allow unlimited access to the _Galactica_.

When Biers was ushered into Roslin's office, there was no one there to greet her. She stood waiting uncomfortably until first President Roslin and then Commander Adama brushed aside a curtain and strode out of the president's private quarters to meet with her.

While greeting the tall blonde, Roslin was giddy from the pure madness of what she and Bill had just done. Still acutely aware of her body and the man who stood beside her, Laura held herself confidently and smiled broadly at the reporter. To cover his post coital contentment, Adama clasped his hands together and made himself even more closed and remote.

Both radiated an incredible aura of extreme self-satisfaction.

_It had happened before; it would happen again. _

The sex had been a foolish, irresponsible, and dangerous thing to do and something they were not likely to repeat.

But gods, it had been fun.

-xxx-

_Eyeing the Commander and President warily, Biers knew something was up with them. There were items of business floating around in the air between them that she was not privy to, and she felt curiosity about what it was that made the president so giddy and the Commander so tightly reined. Their offer, however, was too good to allow her thoughts to dwell on anything but the free ticket to _Galactica_ she'd been given..._

End  
Part 3


	4. Forgive and Forget

This is the last one for a bit. Holidays beckon! It's a bit different - I tried to stay in keeping with the tone of the episode, but I'm not sure I managed it…

Disclaimer: Please remember I don't own any of these characters, I just play with them regularly. As always, no offense intended.

**Call It What You Like**  
By: Mariel

* * *

**4** **- Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down**

_**- Forgive-and-Forget -**_

Relief that Bill wasn't a cylon, affront that Laura had harboured the thought he might be, and satisfaction that neither of them had any characteristics in common with the Tighs led to very satisfying forgive-and-forget sex in his quarters.

Getting to the forgive-and-forget sex hadn't been easy, though.

Dinner with the Tighs had been stressful and the confrontations in Baltar's lab even more so, but things were calmer now. After Ellen and Bill finished with their all-is-forgiven-but-don't-frak-with-me moment, Laura caught his eye from across Baltar's lab.

Understanding her silent signal, he excused himself from the Tighs and moved to where she stood talking with Lee. Inclining his head formally, he said, "Thank you for joining us this evening, Madame President."

She smiled. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Ellen Tigh is an interesting woman," she added in a low tone as the woman in question laughed loudly at something Baltar was saying. She paused, and said earnestly, "I apologise for all the subterfuge, Commander."

"You did what you had to do," he said, magnanimously.

She held his gaze warmly and her smile broadened. "As did you, I'm sure."

Pleased they weren't yelling at one another, Lee glanced between the two of them and then offered, "Madame President, would you like me to call your transport shuttle to _Colonial One_?"

Both Roslin and Adama stiffened. Tearing their eyes away from each other, they turned in unison to look at the captain.

"That won't be necessary," they said simultaneously.

After a quick glance at Bill, the President said, "Thank you, Captain Apollo, but I-" she hesitated, then continued quickly, "I brought an important file to the Commander's quarters tonight and I'm afraid I forgot it there. I need to retrieve it before I go back."

"And I can contact the shuttle for her once she's got it," the Commander added. His eyes glanced at the president. "We may need to go over it first. It's Doctor Baltar's report on his detection process. We'll need to know it thoroughly before tomorrow's Quorum meeting."

Lee looked at them. His father had been furious with Roslin over the cylon thing, but she was obviously forgiven already. Being a smart young man, he began to add things up. He knew Roslin _hadn't _been carrying a file when she'd arrived for dinner that evening, knew the candles were still lit in his father's quarters, and recognised that the two standing in front of him had anticipatory guilt written all over them.

Reaching the sum of the evidence, he wasn't fooled by their nonchalance.

He was, however, impressed by their ingenuity.

Reviewing Baltar's report, indeed.

Firmly squashing a devilish impulse to offer to go get the forgotten file for her, he stepped back. "Oh. Well. All right, then," he said. Smiling, he added, "I'll just leave you two to it, then."

They both smiled back at him, relieved.

Nodding at them, Lee turned and left. He couldn't say he liked the idea of knowing the 'it' he was leaving them to - that was kinda squicky - but he was totally pleased he knew their secret.

The two he left behind regarded each other, a gleam of anticipation in their eyes. Raising his hand, Bill indicated the hatchway leading to the corridor. "Madame President, perhaps we should go find that file."

Laura smiled, and led the way out of Baltar's lab.

-xxx-

They found Billy waiting for the President in the corridor outside the Commander's quarters.

"Billy!" Laura exclaimed when she saw him. "What are you doing here? I gave you the evening off."

He rose from the chair he had been sitting on and smiled. "You did, but I thought I'd catch the shuttle back to _Colonial One_ with you."

Laura felt her stress level rise. She loved him like a son, but-

"The President and I have a couple of things we need to review about the cylon detector," the Commander said smoothly. "We hoped to do it now, to free up some time tomorrow to prepare for the Quorum meeting."

"It could take a while," the President warned quickly.

Billy nodded agreeably. "That's okay. I don't mind going over it now. It's as good a time as any, I suppose."

As the words exited his mouth he saw their horrified expressions, remembered what he knew, and wanted to kick himself.

Reviewing the cylon detector had nothing to do with why they were headed towards the Commander's quarters. In fact, it was probably the _last_ thing they were thinking about. He groaned inwardly. How oblivious could he be? It was late, the dinner party obviously over, and they were returning from godsknewwhere to the Commander's quarters. Together. Without escort.

Obviously to do godsknewwhat.

He felt himself redden. "On second thought," he said before they could say anything, "maybe I -" He hesitated, thinking wildly. "I think I left something. Something... somewhere. Would it be all right if I-" He swallowed, then said, "If I went and found my- something now, and waited for tomorrow to read Baltar's report? I think I'm feeling kind of tired, too..."

He saw them glance at each other and relax imperceptibly.

"Of course, Billy," the president said agreeably. "If that's what you'd prefer."

Billy thought she did an admirable job of keeping the relief out of her voice.

"Oh, it is," he assured her readily. "I'll go get my...something, then, and just leave you two to it." Smiling awkwardly, he backed away from them a few steps before turning and retreating down the corridor.

When he had rounded the corner, he shook his head at the 'it' he was leaving them to. Damned good thing he was in on their sercret.

-xxx-

Kara couldn't wait for later, she needed to hear about it now.

From the source himself.

Grinning, she hurried through the corridors of the Galactica towards the Commander's quarters.

Lee had told her about Ellen Tigh at the dinner table. She smirked. She'd be shaking her head over that for a long time - and using it as fodder for teasing Lee for months to come. Lee had also told her about the president thinking the Old Man was a cylon. He'd described in detail the confrontation in Baltar's lab, and how Roslin had been conducting an investigation and had even called Tigh in. They'd shared a laugh over that, knowing it must have made the Commander's blood boil just a wee bit to have his activities called into question.

There'd been something about the look in Lee's eyes as he finished up the story, however, that had made her look at him questioningly.

_"Is there something you're not telling me, Lee?" she'd asked._

_Lee had looked at her and widened his eyes in a not very convincing display of innocence. He took a step backwards. "No, of course not. What makes you think that?"_

_"That all-knowing cat-who-ate-the-cream look you've got smeared all over your face." _

_"I don't know what you're talking about."_

_"It's still there, Lee."_

_"You're crazy."_

_"And you're holding out on me," she insisted. _

_"Look, I swear I'm telling you everything I saw. And I really wish you'd been there to see the look on the Old Man's face when he realised what Rosllin had been doing behind his back. It was priceless!_

She'd known he was trying to distract her, and had let him.

And now she was on the way to get the story straight from the horse's mouth. Whatever it was Lee wasn't telling her, she was confident the Old Man would fill her in.

She turned a corner and quickly reached the Commander's door. Lifting her hand to knock, she paused, then assured herself that of course he'd be awake. He was always awake.

After tapping lightly, she tried the hatch and was surprised to find it locked. She tapped again, and waited. Frowning in surprise, she wondered if he'd gone to CIC for a late visit. She knew he did that occasionally, just so that the dark shift knew he was aware of their existence and that he appreciated their efforts, too.

It was one of the things she found endearing about him.

He almost never locked his door, though. She looked at the hatch, her face puzzled, then began to turn away. She stopped when she heard a click and the hatch release begin to turn.

She smiled, glad he was home.

When the hatch door was pushed open wide enough, she smiled. "Hi, boss. Got a minute?"

"Kara," he said, "This is a surprise. Do you realise how late it is?"

"Yeah, but you never sleep," she pointed out confidently. Stepping past him and into his quarters, she grinned and told him,. "I want to hear all about Roslin thinking you were a cylon."

The Commander blinked. "It's a long story. I don't know if this is a good time."

Something in his expression suddenly struck her, and she looked at him. _Really_ looked at him.

His undershirts were on, but they weren't tucked in neatly the way she was used to seeing. And his dog tags were beneath them, not over them. That told a woman of her experience that he'ddressed hurriedly to answer the door. His hair was in slight disarray, and-

Her awareness of her surroundings increasing, she realized he was in his bare feet and that his quarters were lit with dozens of candles, not the usual lamps.

Somewhere in the background there was faint music playing.

And then, dear gods, she saw them.

Two very familiar high-heeled shoes. On the floor. In front of his sofa.

There was only one woman who wore shoes like that, and she was nowhere in sight.

_Oh gods,_ she thought, knowing damned well where that woman must be.

_Frakfrakfrakfrakfrakfrakfrak._

It wasn't safe to visit anyone anymore.

Involuntarily glancing towards the wall that hid the Commander's rack from view, she backed towards the hatch. Putting a hand on it, she said, "You know, you could be right, sir. On second thought, maybe this can wait until tomorrow." Her face flushed, she continued, "This isn't a good time. It's late, and I'm tired, and you should probably be hitting the rack yourself. You know, to get some sleep... or something…"

She looked at him, then back in the direction of his rack. Her voice trailed off and she cringed. This was like walking in on your mother and father, only worse, because – well, because he was sort of like her father, and even though she'd known since their time on Kobol what was going on between him and the President, she'd never expected to walk in on-

_Frak._

Tearing her eyes away from the wall, she told him, "I have to go now. I'll just leave you to it..."

Firmly closing her mind against what the 'it' she was leaving him to was, she turned and quickly exited. She made sure she pushed the hatch tightly closed behind her. Seeing them on Kobol had been one thing; seeing them here, at home and-

She shook her head and walked quickly away.

Finally, she grinned. Lucky thing for the Old Man she knew his secret.

-xxx-

Adama stood and stared at the hatch, wondering what had just happened.

"Bill?"

Laura turned the corner and walked towards him. "That was a little odd, wasn't it?"

Still staring at the hatch, Bill nodded, then turned to look at her. She had wrapped herself very neatly in a sheet and looked adorable.

"Kara has her moments."

Laura smiled and lifted a hand towards him. "So how about we have ours?"

He didn't need a second invitation.

-xxx-

_Saul Tigh strode towards Bill's quarters, wondering if this could wait for later and deciding not. He needed to apologise for Ellen's inebriated comments, and the sooner it was done, the better. Bill was always up early, so they could commiserate about the effects of too much ambrosia with each other over a first cup of coffee._

_He rounded a corner just in time to see Roslin and Bill at the end of the corridor, standing in front of his open hatchway. Her hand rested on his chest. His head was bent and his lips were pressed to hers._

_For one, brief second, Tigh froze. Then, smiling, he smoothly stepped backwards and out of view. _

Holy frak_, he thought. Now there was a sight for sore eyes. His smile broadened into a grin. _

_It explained so much._

_Here was a secret he was going to enjoy the hell out of._

End


End file.
